Monday, September 30, 2019

Richard Hamilton

Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing? From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Just What Is It that Makes Today's Homes So Different, So Appealing? ) Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing? ArtistRichard Hamilton Year1956 TypeCollage Dimensions26 cm ? 24. 8 cm (10. 25 in ? 9. 75 in) LocationKunsthalle Tubingen, Tubingen Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing? is a collage by English artist Richard Hamilton. [1][2] It measures 10. 25 in (260 mm) ? 9. 75 in (248 mm).The work is now in the collection of the Kunsthalle Tubingen, Tubingen, Germany. It was the first work of pop art to achieve iconic status. [2] Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Sources 3 Authorship 4 Notes and references [edit]History Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing? was created in 1956 for the catalogue of the exhibition This Is Tomorrow in London, England in which it was reproduced in black and white. In addition, the piece was used in posters for the exhibit. [3] Hamilton and his friends John McHale and John Voelcker had collaborated to create the room that became the best-known part of the exhibition.Hamilton subsequently created several works in which he reworked the subject and composition of the pop art collage, including a 1992 version featuring a female bodybuilder. [edit]Sources The collage consists of images taken mainly from American magazines. The principal template was an image of a modern sitting-room in an advertisement in Ladies Home Journal for Armstrong Floors, which describes the â€Å"modern fashion in floors†. The title is also taken from copy in the advert, which states â€Å"Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?Open planning of course – and a bold use of color. † The body builder is Irvin ‘Zabo' Koszewski, winner of Mr L. A. in 1954. The photograph is taken from Tomorrow's Man magazine, Se ptember 1954. The artist Jo Baer, who posed for erotic magazines in her youth, has stated that she is the burlesque woman on the sofa, but the magazine from which the picture is taken has not been identified. The staircase is taken from an advertisement for Hoover's new model â€Å"Constellation†,and it was sourced from the same issue of Ladies Home Journal, June 1955, as the Armstrong Floors ad.The picture of the cover of Young Romance was from an advertisement for the magazine included in its sister-publication Young Love (no 15, 1950). The TV is a Stromberg-Carlson, taken from a 1955 advert. Hamilton asserted that the rug was a blow-up from a photograph depicting a crowd on the Whitley Bay beach. The image of planet Earth at the top was cut from Life Magazine (Sept 1955). [4] The original reference image for the collage from Life Magazine supplied to Hamilton is in the John McHale archives at Yale University. It was one of the first images to be laid down in the collage. 4 ] The Victorian man in the portrait has not been identified. The periodical on the chair is a copy of The Journal of Commerce, founded by telegraph pioneer Samuel F. B. Morse. [4] The tape recorder is a British-made Boosey & Hawkes â€Å"Reporter†, but the source of the image has not been identified. The view through the window is a widely reproduced photograph of the exterior of a cinema in 1927 showing the premiere of the early â€Å"talkie† film, The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson; the actual original source of the image has not yet been found. edit]Authorship In 2006, artist John McHale's son, John McHale Jr. , said that his father claimed he was the creator of the image, having provided the original measured design and iconic material for the collage, including the magazines from which much of the collage was assembled. [5] McHale said that the source material was his, sent to Hamilton from Yale University, where McHale was studying, and that Hamilton's role was s imply â€Å"mechanical† cutting out and pasting according to McHale's design. In response, Hamilton said this was â€Å"absurd.The collage has been widely reproduced over the last fifty years and my authorship was never, to my knowledge, contested by John McHale Sr. when he was alive. â€Å"[6] Hamilton said that McHale provided him with a rough layout for six pages for the This is Tomorrow exhibition catalogue, but he only used two of them, and the other pages, including this collage, were created by himself; the American magazines that provided the images were from the collection of Magda and Frank Cordell, and the images were cut out by Hamilton's wife, Terry O'Reilly, and Magda Cordell. 6] Magda Cordell has said that â€Å"some of the material for that collage came from John McHale's files†, while other items came from American magazines brought back by her (from a visit to McHale at Yale), and that the piece was â€Å"put together† by Hamilton. [7] A 2007 article by John-Paul Stonard asserts Hamilton's authorship of the collage, providing an exposition of the sources used by Hamilton and the circumstances

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Lld Cover Letter

To Whom It May Concern: During this semester our class had to write three major essays, which are: Rhetorical Analysis (RA), Discipline Investigation (DI), and Critical Reading Reflection (CRR). The Rhetorical Analysis paper is based on how â€Å"to develop your understanding of rhetoric by investigating how a writer constructed a professional document or text in your major field. † It is also â€Å"to practice analytical thinking and clear writing. Basically, I had to research a professional document that is in the field that I want to succeed in my future career.I had to analysis what the rhetorical strategies and appeals are and explain it. The Discipline Investigation paper is based on â€Å"to investigate a discourse community you hope to join and to learn about the kinds of text that community uses. † Before I started this paper, I researched about the job position I would be interested in the future and set up interviews with general managers from hotels. I aske d questions to get more outside knowledge and get to know how the job works personally.The Critical Reading Reflection is based on the book we read which is, The Mind at Work and personal experiences with work. My first best essay is the Discipline Investigation, then the second best is Rhetorical Analysis, then the third best is Critical Reading Reflection. My best essay out of the three is the Discipline Investigation. I started out researching for my career choice and then I interviewed a professional to get the inside scoop of the job and daily routines. As I was developing my paper, I thought the hardest part was not being so technical my ideas but to explain and describe the details.For example, writing about the daily routine part I had started writing periodically what he did each day instead of writing explanation of the skills and knowledge he used in his job. The resources I used to write this paper are book, Internet, and personal interview. I find it helpful to research in all the areas, so you can see the different kinds of information you get from each types of source. There were different ways how I improved on my Discipline Investigation essay from the Rhetorical Analysis essay.First, I would read my paper out loud to see if I have any grammatical errors. Second, I would have friends and classmates peer-edit my paper to see if it is grammatically correct, clear and simple organizations, and make sure all my ideas and requirements are there. Third, I definitely paid more attention writing my paper more concisely since I had the idea of how my instructor was going to grade my essay. Fourth, before even starting on the paper I check to make sure I will address the prompt correctly in my essay.Fifth, I realized that free writing and jotting ideas down and creating an outline for brainstorming helps a lot in order to get the flow of writing consistently. In conclusion, I believe there are some improvements as a writer after taking LLD100A course. I learned to be more precise and focus more while I write my papers. My best paper was Discipline Investigation. Writing my best paper, I feel that I have benefited a lot from the methods of my writing improvements. As I take everything step-by-step I believe that I will process as a writer. Sincerely, xxxx

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Entire Course Essay

   The Power of Many Watch From the grassroots- Understanding community organizing. Consider the African proverb: â€Å"A single bracelet does not jingle.† Discuss the process of social change and the benefit of organizing together for change over individual efforts. Read about the approaches or paths that can be taken to effect progressive social change. Discuss two or three approaches that seem most relevant or practical to you. Support your comments with references and respond to a minimum of two classmates’ postings Social Change Model From Table 3.4 in your text, select two social change models and compare and contrast the similarities and differences between them. Identify their social change tactic, and give examples of representative groups, coalitions, organizations, or entities that exemplify them. Specify the components of successful progressive organizations.  Support your comments with references and respond to a minimum of two classmates’ postings. Reflection Paper Watch the following video, 21st Century Enlightenment and consider the video’s concluding statement,† Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has†. In a three to four page paper, Discuss your thoughts on the video and how it supports this statement. Include a discussion of the terms â€Å"social change,† â€Å"progressive organizing,† and â€Å"community organizing†.Support your comments with references and respond to a minimum of two classmates’ postings. Reflecting upon the video, discuss some ways in which individual citizens can respond to social problems.  Consider how becoming involved with social change aligns with your own values as you consider the following quote, â€Å"Activism is living out one’s values†.Support your comments with references and respond to a minimum of two classmates’ postings. In 250-300 words, discuss the ways in which individuals can be empowered, disempowered and how they can combat personal disempowerment. How does personal empowerment lead to collective empowerment? Describe how social change organizations empower their individual members.  Support your comments with references and respond to a minimum of two classmates’ postings.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Scholarship essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Scholarship Essay Example ld involve taking up courses in specialized areas as in Economics, Finance, and Business Administration, I could project how dear costs may get in meeting the essential requirements of the chosen business program. Still, I would like to express fervent inclination and desire to be facilitated with adequate scholastic resources and flexible support of all forms once entitled by the scholarship privilege through the University of Texas at Dallas. With a GPA of 3.96, I am quite capable of applying mathematical and analytical comprehension having been engaged in tutoring Math on several fields of discipline involving business and science to fellow college students. There was even a period when the versatility of my knowledge was put to test when I handled tutorials in Chemistry, Physics, and Statistics besides the pre-Calculus requisites. This bundle of experiences as a well-rounded tutor and student majoring in business course at the same time has all the more taught me the essence of education, the impact of the quality of teaching, and the profound value in human relations. In the process, I learned about the significance of investment as viewed from a non-monetary context. To this extent, thus, I can gradually ascertain which subject matters are amply worthwhile to keep and which ones to leave behind as I seek pertinent directions toward academic ends. For this ground, I pledge to make the most of scholarship acquisition w hich I am looking forward to be granted during the Spring of 2012 at the University of Texas at

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Global Warming Is Harmful Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Global Warming Is Harmful - Essay Example Regardless of all the arguments presented, I believe that humans contribute to the climatic changes and extreme weather conditions. The increased CO2 levels and rising temperature do have a link. The link between greenhouse effect and global warming are valid as put down by one set of the researchers. Although the studies and climatic researches are not invalid and the continuous debate over this topic does carry an important place in the Earth’s study. According to my point of view, it is not valid to judge the climatic change just by examining or considering the weather patterns of a small region. Global warming does not talk about a particular region, city or country. It is an overall analysis of the Earth’s temperature. Hence, claims that are based on the study of a single region are invalid and must not be relied upon. The study of NCDC, however, clearly asserts against that claim by ranking the temperature for January 2004 as the 4th warmest on record (NCDC, Clima te of 2004, 2004). This further disproves the claim of the other group. I also agree with the statement that carbon emissions are of the major cause of the problem of Global Warming. The factories which are using the fossil fuels during their manufacturing process are giving out a huge amount of carbon and this contributes greatly in making the climate warmer (CBO, 1990). The trees planted in the world are believed to be of paramount significance in preventing the issue of global warming to increase. In the process of the growth of a tree carbon dioxide is used. This carbon dioxide helps in the growth of the tree until its final stages of death and decomposition eventually. This decomposition on the other hand again causes the tree to release carbon dioxide in the environment. Deforestation is one... This paper talks that most of the problems being found in the world are related to the environmental factors. One such environmental problem which has created a political spark all over the world is ‘Global Warming’. Over the years Global Warming has become an issue for the whole world and it is seen that many demographic and temperature changes have occurred throughout the world. The study of Earth and its climate is of immense importance and beyond any doubt the reason for such extreme climatic changes should be known. In order to evaluate the reasons behind the changing climate of the Earth, the studies regarding global warming and the arguments against it are helpful. This paper shows two points of view on the global warming. The proponents and opponents of global warming present with convincing statements regarding their stance. However the individuals who believe that global warming is caused by nature itself do not straighten up their facts and manipulate or interpret the researches. The medieval warm period as put down by the opponents of the global warming is not a strong base for their opposition of human actions on global warming. Even if the medieval warm period was a period in which the earth was warmer than what it is now it does not prove anything regarding the green house gases and global warming. It does not tell if the green house gases have an effect on global warming and if global warming does or does not affect the temperature of this world. The individuals who believe that human actions have a relation to global warming seem to be quite right in their hypothesis in my belief.

Identifying Potential Risk, Response, and Recovery Assignment

Identifying Potential Risk, Response, and Recovery - Assignment Example They are subject to a multiple number of insecurities that could prove to be very disastrous for the business to which the system belongs should it succumb to a threat. Businesses that rely on information systems have an obligation to maintain and keep it secure. As the Information Security Engineer for a videogame development company, it is compulsory that I adopt a vigilant approach to uphold my company’s information security (Godbole, 2009). Attacks, threats and vulnerabilities to the organization Hacking The organization is vulnerable to hacking. Hacking is a criminal act whereby unauthorized people with massive computer knowledge decide to illegally access the personal information on another’s information system, mostly to use for malicious acts that will harm the system’s owner. As identified, the organization’s system is not secure enough to protect itself from hackers. Should this threat not be handled the organization is at a risk of losing its mo st valuable information to anyone who does not have the business’ best interests at heart. Such information in the wrong hands could lead to the downfall of the organization without fail. Obsolescence The organization’s information system is outdated. This is a threat that needs to be addressed. In a business as competitive as the videogames one cannot afford to have information systems that are out-of-date. ... This means that the systems fail to work somehow due to various reasons. I have made an observation that once the systems crash all the information that was contained in it is lost and the organization has to commence from scratch. It does not have to happen this way at all. This is a problem that must be dealt with so as to save time. If all activities in an organization will be stopped just because one system crashed then the business will lag behind (Godbole, 2009). Poor maintenance by staff The organization’s staff are not using the information systems a required. This could be out of ignorance or simply negligence. I recently observed one staff member pour water on a computer’s keyboard. This is an outrageous show of poor maintenance. The systems need to be taken care of on the outside in order to protect the information they carry inside. Lack of maintenance could lead to a double tragedy, that is, irreparable damage to the computer systems and in turn loss of the data they hold. Theft There has been theft of information systems in the recent past o the organization. This is an attack that cannot be allowed to stand as it should be hazardous to the life of the firm. The organization should find out the source behind these threats and tackle it with immediate effect (Godbole, 2009). Strategies and controls to deal with the risks 1) Hacking Hacking can be dealt with using the strategy of risk avoidance. This means ensuring that it doesn’t occur at all. For this strategy to be enforced the organization needs to apply new methods of securing the information systems further. For instance, by creating stronger passwords for files. This will make it harder for a hacker to access whatever is

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Marketing and Marketing Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing and Marketing Strategy - Essay Example Choosing such a product takes less time because the customer has already made up his mind about what to buy even before entering the store thus it requires less research. Consumer Model For a high involvement model we go through the problem recognition stage, where we identify the problem, gather all the information regarding the price, alternatives available and the extent to which they solve the problem, evaluate all the possible alternatives and the finally choose one alternative and purchase the product. After the purchase we evaluate the purchase through its price, performance etc. For a low involvement product, we don’t necessarily go through all the stages. These are routine items that are bought on a daily basis and therefore don’t require any considerable thinking. We might recognize a problem but would not gather information. Similarly we might not look for alternatives. After the purchase has been made we made, post purchase evaluation might not be considered unless we really strongly about it. The Purchase Decision Process The Purchase Decision Process that a customer goes through is a 5-stage process. It should be noted that due to the different involvement nature of various products, some stages might be skipped for some products while other products involve customers going through all the stages of this process. ... engine, high gas consumption and rising frequency of maintenance costs made me reach the conclusion that I needed to cut my losses and change my car. Then began the Information Search phase where I looked for information on new and used cars that would fall within my budget and be less of a hassle to deal with. I gathered information from various car dealing websites as well as by asking friends and family about which car they would recommend I buy. Once I had gathered all the information I needed I made a shortlist of 5 cars from which I would be purchasing one. Evaluating the alternatives wasn’t easy but I was able to select a car that fitted the bill in terms of budget, fuel consumption, and environmental safety as well as in terms of additional equipment such as audio systems and navigation features. Once I had purchased the car I had entered the ‘Post-Purchase Evaluation’ phase. I decided that I was satisfied with my purchase. The Purchase Decision Model for the Low Involvement Product is not quite as complicated as it was for the car. I felt hungry so I stopped at the convenience store on the way back from work, grabbed a pack of my favorite crisps and was satisfied with how they tasted. High Involvement Good In a high involvement purchase the consumers goes through a lot of influences such as culture, social class, personal, family and situation. Back to our previous example of cars, culture really influences the buying behavior such as in Japan people prefer hybrid cars due to their culture of treating nature respectfully. Similarly social class very much dictates the decision. Rolls Royce is only for the very elite, mostly members of the royal family. These combined with the personal, family and situational factors influence the buying behaviors. Also

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

The Philosophy of Knowledge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Philosophy of Knowledge - Essay Example The evolving nature of knowledge can be considered to be a manifestation of its highly unstable nature where it undergoes frequent changes over time. While this may be the case, knowledge is also a means through which cultures are developed and this is done through the transmission of what is believed by a certain society to future generations. When knowledge is compared to truth, it can be suggested that the latter should be able to withstand the test of time and retain its basic truths (Church, 1962, p.322). Such situations tend to be extremely rare considering that the changes in society and the environment often ensure that opinions concerning different aspects of life often change over time. Truth is what human beings hold to be unchanging and this means that it is essential for it to remain constant in order to ensure its credibility (McGarry 2010, p.8). The argument for the constant nature of truth was the belief, before the theory of evolution was developed by Charles Darwin, it was a common belief in Europe that all creation came into being in seven days. This belief was in line with the predominantly Christian biblical teachings that were prevalent in Europe during this age. All these changed with the development of the development of the theory of evolution and it is now considered a fact that all creatures evolved from more primitive forms over millions of years. What remains to be seen is whether the theory of evolution will continue to be considered true knowledge in the near future.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Group reference Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Group reference - Essay Example The readings also provided knowledge about the importance of modern social networking as a method of reaching new consumer audiences. Sites such as MySpace and many others provide even more weight to the concept of reference groups and are therefore important especially in cultures like the UAE that have very group-minded collectivist values. According to Beckstrom (2010) the UAE is the largest user of the Internet in the Middle East where 74.1 percent of the population had access to broadband connections or mobile phones. It is a lifestyle activity for the UAE (Beckstrom). This is important for companies such as the Carrefour hypermarket that has recently launched its own online store offering many non-food items to customers in an environment that is convenient to the buyer segments (dubaifaqs.com, 2011). With the use of social networking tools, customers can have a more interactive experience with the brand and also satisfy their social reference group needs in an environment prov iding similar opinion and values. The UAE is also a culture that does not accept uncertainty easily, in areas of buying behavior and also in terms of the social structures that guide the nation. People in cultures such as this are intolerant of conflicting opinions and value group harmony over individual expression (Donnison, 2008). In the UAE, it is predictable that customers of hypermarkets will want detailed pricing guidelines and clear choices related to their purchases. Therefore, this has significance to marketers trying to predict buyer behavior and develop a system of advertising and product variety that is clear so that buyers understand exactly what they will experience in-store. For the female shopper in the UAE, it is important to identify that there are still many prejudices and stereotypes present that impede their progress toward higher social class status. Therefore, social stratification does not necessarily allow female buyers to move from lower-end class status to more influential status due to the high presence of male-controlled attitudes and political structures. However, the female shopper, across the globe, is usually the most important decision-maker in buying decisions which makes it difficult for companies like Carrefour or Lulu hypermarkets to appeal to the woman buyer. Men have more opportunity for changing their social class and therefore are more mobile. Word-of-mouth communication, as identified by the readings, is still important to the success of a brand or company. Again, the social networking capabilities of Carrefour hypermarkets is changing the interactivity between buyer and the organization which provides new opinion leadership that can change buyer behaviors. It seems that the UAE and especially the hypermarket stores are capitalizing on these new low-cost capabilities by providing products online so that consumers in the same social class with the same values can discuss their positive experiences with Carrefour or Lul u markets. The high instance of mobile phone usage and the lifestyles associated with UAE Internet usage give these markets new visibility and maybe even be able to appeal to the market maven. Since it has been recognized that women in Arab countries enjoy the shopping experience together as part of the group,

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Career Development in Insurance Sector Essay Example for Free

Career Development in Insurance Sector Essay Potential for career development in insurance sector is most vibrant topic today. One Million plus persons are working today as an employees in Insurance sector and 5 Million plus persons are associated with this sector as Agents, Consultants, Surveyors, Loss Assessors, Underwriters, Claim Settlers, Salvage Dealers, Brokers, Sub-brokers, etc etc. The growth rate in Insurance Sector is more than 20% in last 3 years. There is huge potential for development in Insurance sector. The sector is under developed and penetration of insurance is very very low in the country compared to other developing and developed countries. India is leading towards one of the strongest economy of the world by 2020 and it is international phenomenon that insurance sector always booms along with growing economy. Insurance Services are the foundation for smooth functioning of all business commercial activities. Insurance is the backbone of overall economy of the country. For the developing country like India where growth of the economy is at double digit rate, Insurance talent is inevitable. All Industries in this scenario can be monetarily well protected from all types of catastrophic and manmade risks. Insurance is a vehicle for growth in growing economies. The whole world is looking at India as one of the giant and Asian tiger in next 8 to 10 years. All this is true. But very interesting fact of the today is that no one is aware about the exact potential of career development and opportunities in Insurance Sector. This article is dedicated to find the facts and figures about career development opportunities in Insurance Sector in India. This is an effort to enlighten and guide the readers, employees, students, stake holders to understand the facts and facets of insurance sector and how one can develop long term career in Insurance Sector. The article will review all aspects of insurance sector and discuss †¢ Opportunities for Career Development †¢ Growth potential in Insurance Sector †¢ Changing Scenario of Insurance Sector †¢ Manpower Skill Sets Required by Insurance Sector †¢ Regulatory Changes in Insurance Sector †¢ New trends and Developments †¢ International Impacts †¢ Present Academic Scenario †¢ Available Educational Facilities †¢ Recent Educational Academic Developments †¢ Speed and growth cycles of career enhancement in Insurance Sector †¢ Salary Packages at Entry Levels, Middle Level and Top Level †¢ How to improve Employibility and Skill Sets †¢ Career Opportunities Outside India †¢ Subsectors in Insurance for Career Development †¢ Preparing Career Development Path in Insurance Sector †¢ Challenges Opportunities for Career Development in Insurance Sector, †¢ FAQs i.e. Frequently Asked Questions @ Career Opportunities in Insurance Sector, etc After 25 years of experience in Insurance Sector and witnessing the changing scenario of insurance sector after IRDA, I have noticed that the present and future workforce in Insurance sector is totally puzzled about the career enhancement and confused to find a road map for growth. Thousands of Career Fairs Exhibitions across the country are covering all sectors for career opportunities like IT, BPO, ITES, Engineering, Automobile, Management, Finance, Medical, Health Care, Accounts, Law, Company affairs, etc, nobody is talking about insurance sector for career development. People believe that insurance is a small part of finance sector and it need not be cared beyond mere selling of insurance produc ts. Unfortunately I have to state that working employees, students, parents, media, academicians, colleges, universities, top executives of insurance sector and society as a whole are not aware about the exact potential and scope of career enhancement in Insurance Sector. Working in insurance sector is always a secondary thought and society hesitate to honour career in insurance sector. Association in insurance activity is always presumed as below status career. This prejudice attitude towards insurance sector is a great harm for new entrants and career growth of current workforce. This is ironical that due to this negative attitude, the new generation is neglecting and under estimating a golden opportunity of developing gorgeous career in insurance sector. It is more unfortunate that after more than 100 years of commencement of insurance business activity in our country, the academicians, regulators and top executives in Insurance Sector have ignored the need and importance of improving the brand image of insurance sector. Growth Potential in Insurance Sector in India * Insurance is one of the fastest growing sector in India. Hardly 6 % of the population of the country has covered by life Insurance. The penetration is as low as 0.9 % in general insurance. Health Insurance has reached to merely 3 % of the population. In country like USA, where the population is @ 35 Crores, there are more than 6000 companies are engaged in insurance business. In India, population is more than 110 crores and hardly 52 companies are working in Insurance Sector. If we assume that only 50% population is insurable, still we need 10,000 companies to cater the need of 55 Crore people. Only Life Insurance sector has grown to certain extent and people say that I wish to purchase LIC policy for my car or LIC policy for stocks in my factory. Only compulsory policies of general insurance sector have been sold like motor policies and fire and industrial policies. Large number of general insurance products are not even known to the employees of general insurance companies. Thanks to electro mechanical equipments, scientific development and commercialization of medical profession, health insurance penetration has reached to 3 % of population. Still this number is very poor comparing to developed countries. Central Government has targeted Life Insurance Penetration to 40 %, Health Insurance at 30 % and General Insurance at 15 % of the population by 2030. This will create very huge potential for development in insurance Sector. The insurance business was merely 12 Billion US $ by 2000 which has reached to approximately 100 Billion US $ by 2012 and is now expected to grow 1000 Billion US $ by 2020 and 5000 Billion US $ by 2030. * Approval of Bill of 49% FDI in Insurance sector is long awaited. Once it is enacted, the number of insurance companies may rise to @ 150 to 200 in next 7-8 years. There is immense potential for insurance industry to grow. At present there are 24 Life, 27 Non Life and 1 Reinsurance, thus total 52 Insurance companies are in insurance business. Out of this, 4 companies are working exclusively as Health Insurance Companies. 334 insurance broking companies, 800+ corporate agents and thousands of banks have entered in insurance business. Third Party Administer (TPAs) Companies in Health Sector are 29 and TPAs growing in Automobile and Legal Sector. The specialized functions in insurance sector are slowly outsourced and lot many new companies will enter in this area. International insurance surveyors, loss assessors, adjuster, underwriters, claim settlers, have already entered in India and expanding their business activities. Even the world insurance and finance giants like Warren Buffet, Lloyds, Munich Re, Swiss Re, have entered in India. * Health insurance is developing as separate branch of Insurance. It is expected that the number of health insurance companies will be equal to the number of life insurance companies in near future. Bancassurance is also developing as Separate branch of Insurance. People is India have more faith in banks than insurance agents. Many banks have already entered into insurance business and lot more in pipeline. Banks find insurance as growth vehicle. At present only GIC of India is the reinsurance company in the country. But government is now thinking over allowing many more international reinsurance companies in India. In few years, we may find 5 independent branches of insurance in India as Life, General, Health, Bancassurance Reinsurance. * India is becoming Insurance Hub of the world. Giant insurance companies from across the globe are outsourcing core insurance functions to India. IT infrastructure in the country and new generation Indian Talent are attracting world insurance business for core functions for cost effective solutions. Indian software companies are leading in this race. Even BPO in Insurance Sector is growing very fast. All this require technical and domain skills sets of Insurance functions. This IT, ITES and BPO business in Insurance Sector from outside India is expected to rise to 1000 Billion US $ by 2025 It is believed that next boom is in insurance sector. Insurance will play key role in boosting economy further. In India, next 25 years will be dominated by Insurance Sector. The growth is expected at horizontal as well as vertical levels. It will be from inside the country and from outside the country. Changing Scenario in Insurance Business in India * Insurance was strictly dominated by Agents and Development officers till 2000. But IRDA has opened up new distribution channels such as Corporate Agent, Insurance Broker, Bancassurance, Mallasurance, Online Sale of Insurance, Direct Sale, etc. These new channels are growth engines of the insurance industry. One interesting aspect of this growth is that Insurance Sector is heading towards SERVICING from merely Selling. The mantra of â€Å"Sell it and Forget it† is now converting as â€Å"Service Retain Client†. This requires Core insurance knowledge and not merely Selling Expertise. * The commission rates of insurance agents are slowly getting downward trend. The servicing of client is now taken care by customer servicing department. The Technology has now key role in policyholders servicing and provides better knowledge and expertise than agents. Companies are now offering new gate ways for renewal commissions like through internet banking, ATMs, ECS, Mobile banking, etc. It has reduced the dependency of policyholders on agents for timely renewal of existing policies. * Government is slowly removing the Income Tax rebates from insurance policies. It has already signaled the same and introduced few provisions in current budget by restricting the percentage of amount of premium with the sum assured of any policy. * Product Development and new innovative policies has changed the olden rules of the selling game. Merely begging for insurance or forcing a policy will not exist anymore. The 35 % commissioned policy selling dominance will be eroded. . * Insurance is Risk Cover or Investment is a matter of debate but common policyholder is now diverting to PURE Insurance products such as Term Insurance. The ULIP Story between IRDA and SEBI has focused on a need of domain insurance talent. * There is certainly reasonable improvement in policyholder’s awareness and knowledge about insurance. Government, IRDA and NGOs like FIBLI, insurance companies and related stake holders are concentrating on customer education, literacy and awareness about insurance products and services through advertisements, seminars, workshops, comics, e-literature, animated films, etc. * As Insurance need is vertical as well as horizontal, the insurance business is spreading across the country. Insurance companies are focusing and spreading network in rural markets as it has huge potential. Technological development is helping this drive of rural expansion. * Health Insurance and Bancassurance sectors will grow drastically. General Insurance Sector will also develop. In life Insurance Sector, Term Insurance Business will dominate. * In future, Online Insurance will have a key role in new business. * It will be difficult to get insurance claims in future. There will be huge scope for Claim consultants who will help people to get insurance claims. * Insurance sector will slowly dominate the economy and there will be overall developments in insurance sector. There will huge revenue generation form insurance business in India as well as outsourced insurance business from outside India. Employability Potential in Insurance Sector As insurance sector is growing with 20% rate, there will be a huge requirement of Insurance professionals in the country. * NSDC Report – National Skill Development Corporation has estimated the job creations of 2 Million persons in insurance and banking sector by 2021 in its latest report. * CII Report The recent survey of Confederation of Indian Industries estimated that there is a need of @ 21 lakhs insurance educated employees by 2025. * ASSOCHEM Report on Insurance Sector – It has pointed out on employability potential in Insurance Sector in its latest report. The report has estimated manpower requirement to be 30 Lakhs by 2030. The job creation in insurance sector will be across the country as insurance business is spreading across the country. The innovative distribution channels will play a vital role in insurance penetration and of course, technology will be a great supportive tool for this development. The manpower is required across the country. Insurance companies, banks and financial services providers are focusing and spreading network in rural markets as it has huge potential. It will generate huge employability not only at Metro and urban areas but at semi urban and rural levels, too. At present there are 52 companies, 334 brokers, 1200 + banks, 29 TPAs, 2000 IT, ITES BPO companies, 400 surveyor and other insurance services provider companies are working in India. The number will rise to double or triple in next 8 to 10 years. These companies will have offices across the country and will generate jobs across the country. Career Development Path in Insurance Sector Till IRDA, insurance career was dominated by selling activity. It is the assumed misconception that any career in insurance sector will have to be connected with selling of insurance products. The Insurance Agents and Development Officers community in the country has coloured insurance policy selling with either begging of insurance or forcing for insurance. The rebating in insurance premium has eroded insurance profession as under privileged one. After IRDA and entry of corporate insurance companies, the face of insurance career was always compared with the face of poor insurance agent. Career in Insurance was always neglected one and approach towards it was one of the ridiculous one. But the situation is now changing drastically. Career in Insurance is not merely a selling activity. Insurance Sector require domain technical knowledge. The employees with core insurance competency can only grow henceforth. After a decade of privatization, corporate companies have understood that insurance is not a FMCG product and one must possess technical skills and fundamental knowledge to exist grow in this market. Servicing will be key for growth and for this, one require domain expertise. For new entrants, any graduation with specialized diploma in insurance domain like underwriting, claims, motor insurance, health insurance, bancassurance, reinsurance, liability insurance, aviation insurance, engineering insurance, agricultural insurance, marine insurance, etc will be helpful to enter in insurance sector. One has to improve his academic qualification and scope of skills by adding various diplomas from various streams of insurance. As one grows with experience, this academic excellence and expansion will improve his employibilty and scope of promotions and growth. For existing employees, one has to improve his academic position along with experience. Mere experience will not help beyond certain limit. As we expect 49 % FDI and steep increase in number of insurance companies, the existing employees will have clear advantage to grow. But for this, they must obtain domains skills and competency through academic enhancement. The present employee in insurance sector should focus on overall and multi dimensional development in his capacities, skill sets and academic qualifications. The candidate with multifaceted core skills will have better opportunities over general candidate. He should not limit himself only to underwriting or claims. He should always seek for more and more knowledge. One can select a sector of insurance like Life or general or health for developing his career path but he should be equipped with qualifications and skills of other sectors also. It will widen the scope of opportunities available to him. Salary Packages In Insurance Sector As per the present scenario in Insurance Sector, one may join insurance company at entry level with a annual package of @ Rs.1.2 lakh to 1.5 Lakh. He may be designated as Associate or Assistant. In 3-4 years, he may grow to higher position with a scale of Rs. 3 to 4 Lakhs if he has academic qualifications with experience. After 6-8 years after joining insurance, one may easily grow to annual package of 7 to 10 Lakhs. After 12 to 15 years, one may dream to annual package of Rs.15 to 20 Lakhs. Of course, this needs academic up gradation and continuous improvement of domain skills. This trend may continue for next 20 years as there is long term and inside outside country potential. The speed of career growth and expansion is smooth and fast in insurance sector than perhaps any other sector in the country. But it needs hard work, academic excellence and aggressive approach towards opportunities. I will share one practical example here. The employees who joined insurance sector in the newly entrant companies like Bajaj Allianz, HDFC, ICICI etc between 2001 to 2003 were drawing annual salary package of 1.5 to 2.5 lakhs. They are now grown to key positions in new companies after 8 to 10 years with annual packages of Rs.20 to 25 Lakhs. Some of them have even clinched packages of 40 to 50 Lakhs per annum. Skill Sets Requirements by Insurance Sector At present, man power requirements are basically skilled based. Employees with academic qualifications are encouraged for promotions. Fresher with academic qualification in insurance are preferred. At present, Insurance Companies recruit freshers and train them for 6 months or one year. But the attrition rate is so high that more than 42 % of new recruits leaves the company. Insurance companies are seriously concerned over the expenditure on training and the rate of turnout. They are looking for employees who have been already trained and having domain academic qualifications. Insurance Companies have found that domain knowledge will improve selling, servicing, operations and all other functions. New companies prefer persons with experience and academic qualifications. Skill sets required by the insurance sector are underwriting skills, claim handling skills, operational skills, servicing skills, risk assessment and classification skills, insurance product skills, distribution channel operating skills, coordination skills, IT skills with domain knowledge, insurance accountancy skills, etc.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Cooperate And Strategic Management At Asda Commerce Essay

Cooperate And Strategic Management At Asda Commerce Essay This essay will critically analysis and evaluate the strategy of ASDA. With the analysis I will evaluate what strategy they are using, with the purpose and what type of intention they looking to develop for the future of the supermarket. ASDA is a supermarket that is owned by an American company that is called Wall-Mart. I choose this company because firstly I am a loyal customer and secondly Ill be a good company to evaluate the business analysis on it. It is a big company that requires different types of marketing strategy analysis for it to be as successful as it is today. First am going to be concerned with the role of the external environment of the business. The environment of the business includes PESTLE, five forces and the opportunity and threats strategy. These tools will show us the competitive side of the company to create competitive advantage in ever more crowded markets and with increasingly demanding customers. (Graham Hooley 2004). The second part of this essay will be on cultural analysis. Culture analysis is the way the management assembles combinations of values, rituals, languages and myths. This tool is used as a key factor in successful commitment and passion of employees of the business. These factors are found in corporate culture, will show how they improve their performance of management and as a whole by looking in detail the culture of the surroundings of the business. For the third part of the essay I will look into the portfolio analysis to see weather or not the business is looking attractive, in growth and has substantial profit margin for the size of the company. The most basic and importance of being in business is making profit and this will show us the situation of the company in the market place. Finally I will conclude my essay with a conclusion on how the business will be changing in the market for future strategies based on the firms ability to adopt the market and take benefit of the nature of the company to optimise their growth and attractiveness. External Analyses Lets start with the first strategy management that gives full detailed and creative assessment on the environment of the company, which is called PESTLE. The analysis was done and shown below. Social forces Branding advantage for company, it brings trust to companies. Disadvantage may be a dislike of a product and may not buy it again. Lifestyle changes disadvantage for company, as it can be costly to change like cloths. Advantage would be that keeping with fashion could bring more money for the company. Political forces Employment law can be seen as good view to employees as ASDA needs to be aware of health and safety and other laws but can be source of complications for the business. Taxation disadvantage for company, it can be costly for business like ASDA because they need there individual accountant and as a whole. The benefit would be the provision of the public goods. Economic forces Inflation disadvantage for company, people will have less money to spend on luxury goods. Economic Growth is an advantage for the company as living standard is higher however interest rate will be changed that will cause to be more volatile and susceptible to change. Technological forces Web site for company to keep it up-to-date can be costly but the benefit will make people buy online which will decrease manpower. Stock control can automatically count the stocks sold and reorder however the disadvantage would be unable to count the stolen/broken goods. Legal Current legislation is important for the companies to know the status of the environment it is situated to keep its benefits and drawbacks in check for the future. Environmental Environmental issues is required for the local, national, and international to keep commitment in environmental protection. The benefit will increase loyalty of brand as they seek increase better environment. Customer values -can target a segment of a market for the company to guide towards and is a key to sustainable competitive advantage. A PESTEL analysis considers the most important external factors that impacts ASDA. This analysis will reflect on ASDAs brand name by merging all the factors in one to create a guide strategic decision-making. If the PESTEL analysis done correctly and accurately, it would make the organisation of ASDA to keep up with the change of the environment and it will be better placed than its competitors to respond to change. For example Wal-Mart decided on a smart decision by merging with ASDA as both company benefited from it by having more leverage on each other. As ASDA has many franchises in Briton every single one of the PESTLE analysis are different to each other as they are located in a different region. This means that every single franchise companys manger would use this tool for their area to create value for money, loyalty and trust. Although the environment is different in each location, the main goals and objectives of the original company stays, and managers aim to achieve. One of the ways managers seek in achieving their objectives is using another analysis on the external environment. This will plan and helps ASDA to focus on key issues of the external environment. The two key elements are opportunity and threats of the company, which is shown below. Opportunity -The opportunity ASDA is able to do is to expand globally by strategic alliances with other retailers. -Second market share leader has the opportunity of reduction of effective food prices for consumers through economies of scale. -Consumers are likely to change and trends endlessly change so there is always opportunity for ASDA to act upon the next trend which requires good strategic marketing. Threat -As shown in the market share graph in the next page, it shows that ASDAs market share comparison to Sainsbury is not that much far apart (0.5 share difference) an Tesco in the lead. -Technological are also highlighted as threat as cheaper products can be found online or better quality by competitors. -Tescos advertisements on television, communicates about how many products it has cheaper than ASDA. Supermarket shares Identifying theses forces for ASDA are simple and it will be hard to plan the correct strategy with just these to guide the company. To be able to understand better of the external environment of ASDA I need to introduce another analysis to conduct a plan of good strategy for the company, which is called Porters five forces as shown below. Porters five forces element focuses on the circumstance of other elements. For example the supplier power would be increased if there were a high scale of rivalry between companies trying to obtain the supplies. This analysis would show the bargaining power it has upon the elements to increase awareness and create a better business potential for the company. Using this analysis it will look at ASDAs power in the market and allows you to see the gap between where the company is and where it should be, and furthermore, what strategies should be applied. This helps the bottom line of the company as it considers profitable rivalry to be a base significance and it should concentrate on the factors affecting the companys profit. With the combinations of the three analyses shown above, the external environment should be kept equal or increase competitive advantage over their rivals. Cultural web analysis The name of ASDA on its own represents different behaviour and values for people. The relationships all people have with ASDA are different depending on their situation or cultural point of view. Corporate culture is the way people do things in an organisation, which sets beliefs, attitudes, core values and behavioural patterns that is shared by the people in the company. The culture of web is used to analysis the elements that influence the performance and determine the future of the change. Analysing the culture as it is now in ASDA, then look what Ill be in the future and to find the differences in between them to calculate the change in tomorrow will achieve the high-performance culture that any business wants. Below is the cultural web diagram and each section is described in appendix 2. (Johnson and Scholes (1999); P. 74) IT will be imposable for Multi-national Corporation like ASDA to have no conflicts between the local national culture and the imported corporate culture. These conflicts are hard to manage as there are to many to please or have a skilled manager to multi-cultural management. For the ideal strategy for ASDAs culture should be multi cultured and managers should have an open mind when working with employees to manage the organisation more effective and efficiently as culture differ. For example in the middle east family values are very important and an employee wouldnt dream of staying late to finish work if this conflicted with a family duty. This does not mean that their work ethic is poor, it is just expressed differently and a western manager would find it offence by suggesting otherwise. ASDA has large group of people to identify across the whole organisation. Instead managers tend to identify the culture with smaller sub-groups. So ASDA would have a mixture of sub-cultures some th at may even be abnormal. Again there is a high certainty of conflict between the different sub-cultures as business is rarely simple. It is said the collection of beliefs, expectations and values shared by the corporations members and transmitted from one generation of employees to another (Wheelen and Hunger, 1986) which will bring prosperity and growth of the company. Portfolio analysis Next is the portfolio analysis of ASDA as it represents the attractiveness, balance, fit, manageability and synergy of the company. The business portfolio is the collection of products that make up the business. The best portfolio is one that fits the companys strength and helps develop opportunity. ASDA will need to do a set of analyses and decide which businesses needs more or less investments, and conducting growth strategy for adding new products/services and businesses to the portfolio. Additionally work out the time limit of a product or businesses should no longer be retained. There are three types of portfolio planning however the two best known ones are from the Boston consulting group that the description been added to appendix 3 and by General Electric. In each method the company needs to identify the various strategic business units. The Strategic business units have all have separate mission and objectives and that can be planned independently from the other businesses. The strategic business unit can be dividing the business, for example a product line or individual brands. When ASDA classifies its strategic business units in the portfolio, then it must decide what to do with them. The diagram in appendix 3 shows a cash cow, a dog, starts and question marks. New strategic thinking indicates there are four types of strategies, which is shown in appendix 3. Depending on the strategic business units it will have a different type of strategy as explained before to suit its needs. Conclusion Finally to conclude my essay I would start of saying that at this moment that cultural web is essential for ASDA as Culture is something which makes members of an organisation behave more like each other than non-members! ASDA uses culture to hunt for steady growth within the market, through very detailed planning and control systems. It is good for ASDA to understand culture as they can implement new strategies and adopt culture with them. I will explain the reasons and do a summary of how environment analysis affects on ASDA. Any company must seek to understand the nature of its competitive environment in order to be successful in achieving its objectives and in setting up appropriate strategies. If a company fully understands the nature of the environment analysis it will be in a stronger point to defend itself against any threats and to influence its strategy. By strategising through how each force affects the company it will identify the strength and direction of each force that will provides opportunity to identify the strength of the situation and the ability to make a continued profit (Mind Tools, 2006). To broaden my analysis feather I could have used STEEPLED which allow for a dedicated Ethical section however they can be included in the original four. It is the shape and simplicity of a four-part model is also somehow more strategically appealing and easier to manipulate and convey. There is also the sixth forces (relative power of other stakeholders) that I could have analysed however is not as popular. If I had more time I could have been able to do more analysis to find new and more of competitive advantages for ASDA. Although using strategic planning it is not always precise. No tool is fixed. Its a matter of practical choice as to what helps best to identify and explain the matters at hand. Neither resources nor market are fixed and keep changing every day. The new processes of marketing will require us to learn new ways of doing business in unfamiliar organisations. We may by now be well used to the idea of market needs changing over time and the need to monitor those changes for the success of the business. For success of growth for ASDA they need to constantly to examine and develop their resources and capabilities over time to be able to have a completive advantage in the long run. At the same time it should look at their current set of capabilities and assets to create new opportunities for the short run. Fundamentally ASDA needs to widen its resources to increase profit and deeper relationship with customer to ensure long-term value through the relationships between them. With the new millennium, there is infinity number of ways of competing with rivals. It is an exciting period for competitive marketing. PESTLE analysis is used to measure the growth or decline of a marketplace, as such the position, potential and direction for the business. References Haberberg, A. and Rieple, A. (2001) The Strategic Management of Organizations, Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Kippenberger, T. (1998) Strategy according to Michael Porter, The Antidote, Vol. 3 Issue 6, pp. 24-25. Luffman, G., Lea, E., Sanderson, S. and Kenny, B. (1996) Strategic Management, Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Inc. Porter, M. (1980a) How Competition Forces Shape Strategy, Harvard Business Review, September-October, pp.137-145. Porter, M. (1980b) Competitive Strategy, New York: Free Press. Porter, M. (1998) Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors, New York: Free Press. Sanderson, S. (1998) New approaches to strategy: new ways of thinking for the millennium, Management Decision, Vol. 36 issue 1, pp.9-13. Thurlby B (1998) Competitive forces are also subject to change, Management Decision London Wheelen, T. and Hunger, J. (1998) Strategic Management and Business Policy, 6th ed., Reading: Addison-Wesley. Johnson G. and Scholes K. (1999), Exploring Corporate Strategy, 5th Edition, Prentice Hall, London. Greenley G.E. (1989), Strategic Management, Prentice Hall, London Certo S.C. and Peter J.P. (1997), Strategic Management, 3rd Edition, Austen Press / Irwin, Illinois.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Acid Rain Essay -- Environmental Science

INTRODUCTION The term acid rain refers to the process of deposition or precipitation of hydrogen ions with a pH value below 5.0, in the atmosphere. These acidic substances are produced by the pollutants on the earth that are airborne. These acidic precipitates will pour down as water droplets along with normal rain water whose pH lie between 5.0 and 5.6 creating hazardous effects on the living organisms of earth. HISTORY The cause of acid rain is mainly due to industrial pollutants. Acid rain was first reported during the Industrial Revolution in England in 1852.A Scottish chemist by name Robert Angus Smith discovered the same. [Briney A, 2001]However the term ‘Acid Rain’ was coined in the year 1972 by the scientist in his book,†Air and Rain: The Beginnings of Chemical Climatology â€Å".Awareness towards acid rain started to increase rapidly among people from then on. In today’s date even a small kid is taught about acid rain and made to understand the importance of preserving the environment from pollution. ACID RAIN FORMATION Air is polluted by both natural and artificial sources. The major contributors of acid rain are the oxides of sulphur and oxides of nitrogen. These oxides released through pollutants settle in the atmosphere. They then combine with the moisture in the atmosphere to form acid rain. The acid rain thus collected in the cloud gets released along with the raindrops of normal water thereby forming acid rain [J.N.B Bell, 1981] .The rain water that pours down will obviously contain the most harmful sulphuric acid and nitric acid. The effects created by this acid rain unimaginable. They just burn the living being alive in seconds creating a permanent destruction to the earth. CAUSES As seen earlier, the major con... ...hould take care that we do not become the root cause for the day on which the whole world will get drenched in acid rain. Nature is precious. Every individual must realize this fact and start their action to create a green and clean environment in future, as always prevention is better than cure! Works Cited Briney A, The Causes, History and Effects of Acid Rain, 2001 J.N.B Bell, An update on acid rain: A UK Viewpoint, 1981 Lane C A, Acid Rain –Overview and Abstracts, 2003 Epa, Available at, http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/effects/surface_water.html, Accessed on 13th August 2010 Wolosz T, Effects of Acid Rain, SUNY Plattsburgh States College, New York, 2005 Trotman G, Acid rain – A review of the phenomenon in the EEC & Europe, 1983 Kneese A, Measuring the benefits of clean air and water, 1984 BrimbleCombe P, Acid Rain –Deposition to Recovery, 2007

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Galvanic Skin Response :: essays research papers

The Galvanic Skin Response The simple psycho-galvanometer was one of the earliest tools of psychological research. A psycho-galvanometer measures the resistance of the skin to the passage of a very small electric current. It has been known for decades that the magnitude of this electrical resistance is affected, not only by the subject's general mood, but also by immediate emotional reactions. Although these facts have been known for over a hundred years and the first paper to be presented on the subject of the psycho-galvanometer was written by Tarchanoff in 1890, it has only been within the last 25 years that the underlying causes of this change in skin resistance have been discovered. The Tarchanoff Response is a change in DC potential across neurones of the autonomic nervous system connected to the sensori-motor strip of the cortex. This change was found to be related to the level of cortical arousal. The emotional charge on a word, heard by a subject, would have an immediate effect on the subject's level of arousal, and cause this physiological response. Because the hands have a particularly large representation of nerve endings on the sensori-motor strip of the cortex, hand-held electrodes are ideal. As arousal increases, the "fight or flight" stress response of the autonomic nervous system comes into action, and adrenaline causes increased sweating amongst many other phenomena, but the speed of sweating response is nowhere near as instantaneous or accurate as the Tarchanoff response. The most advanced layers of the cortex, unique to Man, link to the thumb and forefinger especially, and there is a further complex physiological response which occurs when the forebrain is aroused. Changes in Alpha rhythms cause blood capillaries to enlarge, and this too affects resistance. By virtue of the Galvanic Skin Response, autonomic nervous system activity causes a change in the skin's conductivity. The overall degree of arousal of the hemispheres, and indeed the whole brain, is shown by the readings of the GSR psychometer, which does not differentiate between the hemispheres, or between cortical and primitive brain responses. Higher arousal (such as occurs with increased involvement) will almost instantaneously (0.2 - 0.5 sec) cause a fall in skin resistance; reduced arousal (such as occurs with withdrawal) will cause a rise in skin resistance. Thus a rise or fall relates directly to reactive arousal, due to re-stimulation of repressed mental conflict. Initially this may cause a rise in resistance as this emerging, previously repressed, material is fought against.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Inspiration is the Key to Achievement Essay -- essays research papers

The road to success of every achiever is filled with ample inspiration, something more powerful than words can describe, something that unbelievably plays such an important role in how someone approaches their lifetime goal, in how someone thinks, how someone acts, and how times fly, and how the world spinning around someone is – whether it is dynamic, hectic, chaotic, moderate, or deliberate. Without this incredible thing that may seem to be imaginary and invisible to some people, life would be just a game without the finishing line, but with this so-called magical thing in your palms, you could be driven to achieve your goals more briskly, effectively, and energetically – just like how you would arrive to your destination faster if you have the map with you. All successful people around the world, young or old, short or tall, white or black, Asian or Western, they all have or have had inspirations in life, whether it’s someone they have been looking up to or so mething they find to inspire and motivate themselves, such as some sorts of stories, quotes, books, or even movies. Inspiration is one of the essential keys to unlock the door to the room of accomplishment. One of the biggest over achievers in Thailand whose name is known all over the world now due to his innovative, fearless, decisive attitude and his swift actions in the politics world as the last Prime Minister of Thailand, this guy has always been the one who takes the first step in everything he puts his hands on, he likes to differentiate and is not afraid of changing and innovating. He was formally known as one of the richest, wealthiest and most successful businessmen in Thailand whose businesses cover a wide range of products and services. His latest challen... ...d to continually inspire myself consistently and vigorously with inspirations through reading, watching, discussing, listening, observing, and trying to comprehend messages conveyed and perspective shown to me. Sometimes inspiration just comes without realizing their occurrence, and it just goes without saying goodbye. Sometimes it comes in a visionary form, sometimes it just comes in a solid form. Inspiration lies around everywhere for you to pick - alongside streets, on boards, in the air, and in every breath you take. Just set yourself a goal, search for an inspiration, and believe that you can achieve it. Personally, I greatly believe that without inspiration, I would be goofing around like many people my age are. And most importantly, I believe that with great inspirations continuously motivated and spurred on, I will achieve my goals and be successful one day.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Four foods common throughout Mexico Essay

Corn, and corn tortillas in particular, are common throughout all of Mexico. Corn tortillas are considered the â€Å"bread† of Mexican culture. Beans are almost always served as a side dish with all meals. Chilies, squash and tomatoes are all indigenous foods that thrive in the arid regions and are used for flavoring and as side dishes throughout the country. Chilies are also often integrated into main dishes. B. Comparison and Contrast of foods from three regions of Mexico Food from the Mexican plains region is typically more heavy with fats and starches. The region’s cuisine relies on meat and dairy products (most notably beef and cheese) in addition to the traditional beans and corn found elsewhere throughout the country. Tropical Mexico relies heavily on the fish and seafood that are abundant along the coast for its main dishes. It also incorporates food locally grown on plantations such as coffee, bananas, avocado, limes, tomatoes and tropical fruits such as mango, tamarind and coconut. Ceviche, a blend of raw fish, lime juice and vegetables, is very popular. Southern Mexican cuisine uses chayotes and cactus and relies heavily on chicken dishes, often marinated. Mole sauce, using chilies and chocolate originated in Southern Mexico and is used as a ceremonial dish at baptisms, weddings, and the Day of the Dead festivals. Even grasshoppers, which are quite abundant, are often eaten fried. Beans and avocados are also used in many dishes. Meat from goats and pork along with chilies and tortillas are often found in dishes from all regions. Chocolate and vanilla are two items that put Mexico on the map and quite popular throughout the country as flavorings. Chocolate is used in sauces as well as for drinking and often infused with cinnamon. Mexican cuisine is very reliant on the food sources most abundant in the region and so range the gamut from seafood to cactus. 6. Comparison and Contrast of food and customs of India’s Northern and Southern regions In Northern India wheat, tea, masala, pickled fruits and vegetables, garlic and eggs are commonly used. Most dishes are prepared by boiling, stewing or frying. Unleavened bread and a vegetable dish are served at breakfast and lunch. Dinner is the same with the additional of a few extra dishes. All meals are served with tea and lemonade in the summer. Hydrogenated oils are used for cooking. In Southern India, banana leaves serve as plates and boiled rice comes with every course. Vegetables and lentils make up the first two courses while rice and yogurt are in the third course. All are accompanied by pickles, chutney and fried wafers. Dessert is only served on special occasions. Coconut, plantain and fish are often used and tend to be spicy. They use peanut and sesame oil in addition to hydrogenated vegetable oil and prepare dishes by steaming. Rice, coffee, chutney fruits and vegetables are integral to the cuisine. Grains cooked into cereals are popular. Chickpeas and lentils are used in nearly every meal. Spicy vegetable curries, deep-fried, salty foods and sweets are popular as snacks. The foods of both regions are highly vegetarian, per religious beliefs. Neither region eats beef nor traditionally drinks alcohol. The spices and condiments heavy in Southern Indian cuisine are the influence of Jews and Christians. In the North, wheat is the staple food while rice reigns in the South. Northern Indians drink tea with their meals while Southern Indians prefer coffee. Since Pakistan was once part of India, the cuisine of the Northern region is very similar to that of Pakistani food. The foods of both regions are influenced heavily by their respective religions as well as the influx of foreign traders in earlier centuries. 7. A. Five foods indigenous to Caribbean In Jamaica, dukunnu is made with cornmeal, sugar, raisins spices and coconut and wrapped in banana leaves and boiled or baked. Jamaica also uses turn cornmeal made of cornmeal blended with peas, spices, coconut milk, saltfish and sometimes other ingredients. Peppers are indigenous all over the Caribbean and are commonly used to spice up dishes such as marinated â€Å"jerk† meats. Manioc, sweet potatoes and yams are served as a side dish or deep fried. There is heavy reliance on fish, including conch and shellfish. B. Identify the Caribbean country or island: 1. Sofrito – Cuba and Puerto Rico 2. Picadillo – Cuba 3. Jerk Foods – Jamaica 4. Sancocho – Dominican Republic 5. Moros y Cristianos – Cuba 6. Habichuelas con Dulce – Dominican Republic.

Monday, September 16, 2019

The Reasons Young People Use Drugs

The Reasons Young People Use Drugs Jenita Magdalena, 1106053256 FIK UI 2011 Drugs are not a familiar problem in the ears of the people of Indonesia today. Especially in the ears of young people. Why? Because many young people in Indonesia now felt into drugs. And tragically, this is no longer just a problem in big cities only, but now also been expanded to rural areas. This is because drug addicts today are not only the wearer, but also as a dealer. The easier access to get drugs must be one of the factor.With the above explanation, it is clear that the drugs problem undermines the future of Indonesia's young generation. There are many reasons that many people -especially young people- using drugs. There reasons are media, curiosity, lack of proper family guidence, and the factor of friends. The reasons were not the absolute reason. There are still many other factors, but the above factors are a common factor in today's society. It helps us to better identify the factors above as an initial step spread of drugs prevention. The first reason of someone falling into the circle of drugs is the media factor.Along with the development of today's technology, people become very dependent on technology such as mobile phones, television, radio, and internet. Thus the role of the media becomes very important in a person's psychological development. People who are too often witnessed the violence in movies or the internet, believed to be more aggressive. As same as the drugs problem. Someone who often witnessed how drug users or drugs used, were also likely to fall into drugs. Therefore, the sensors could be reducing the scenes of drug use as one of the major steps in drugs prevention.Besides the media, of course, is the major causative factor is high curiosity and want to try drugs. Because someone who has seen drug users in film, television, and internet, will appear curious and wanted to try drugs. They are not know, by trying the drugs it will be difficult for them to escape from the drugs. Because the drugs is one type of substance that would cause the addiction for the wearer. Lack of proper guidance of the family can also be an important factor in causing a child got into drugs. Parents should act as educators in the family, should be a good example for children.So that children can imitate the good behavior of their parents. Based on research, a child who was raised by parents who become drug addicts, most likely the child will also become addicted to drugs later. Thus, the role of parents can be an important one of the psychological development of children. And the final factor that is not less important is the factor of friends. Often, playmates who use drugs will invite other friends to come to feel or using drugs. And usually, someone who offered his friend to use drugs will be easy to take drugs.That's because a sense of solidarity and friendship is strong, so people are can’t reject his captives. Of course as we all know, once so meone has tried to feel the drugs, it will be difficult to him to get out of the bondage of drugs. Thus by knowing the factors that cause someone to fall into the drugs, we expected to take reasonable precautions against those around us. So that step by step spread of the drugs will be reduced in this country. And of course our hope is with the reduced network with drugs in this country is Indonesia's future will be bright, because the future of Indonesia is in the hands of youth.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

To what extent does the portrayal of women in Much Ado About Nothing subvert the conventions of the society shown in the play?

Freedom for women in the patriarchal society, in which the play is set, appears controlled and constrained in ‘Much Ado About Nothing (MAAN)’. Shakespeare employs the rebellious spirit of Beatrice in his comedy to subvert the social orthodoxy of the Elizabethan era. Hero falls victim to the suppressive nature of the dominating male characters; however Beatrice, our shrew, provides humour with her quick wit and wordplay, and a breath of fresh air for a modern feminist audience. The dramatic genre of comedy is often subversive and ‘MAAN’ definitely does not fail to live up to this expectation. With her opening line, our female protagonist subverts conventional stereotypes as she interrupts a conversation between two male speakers, questioning the return of â€Å"Signior Mountanto†. Instantly this informs us of her subversive lack of etiquette in conversation, as women would not typically speak out for themselves, especially not against a man. Her wordplay and double entendre here invokes humour firstly because the name relates to an up thrust in duelling, thus describing Benedick as a show-off, and secondly because it has sexual connotations. Beatrice’s outward smutty nature can be marked in juxtaposition to Hero’s lack of independence and confidence (a woman who occupies the role of a tragic heroine, rather than a comic one, barely utters a word throughout the play, and succumbs totally to the homosocial ruling class of Messina). Behind her witty exterior, and her constant determination not to be seen as weak, Beatrice can be seen as inquisitive about Benedick’s time away, showing she cares for him; this would conform to Renaissance standards for it was anticipated that all women would fall into the arms of a man. Being a standard feature of romantic comedy, the female protagonist typically begins by hating the man she loves, mirroring the structural pattern of beginning in discord and ending in accord. Furthermore, Beatrice, the stock character of the shrew, is exposed as a woman whose opinion of marriage definitely subverts the status quo. Asserting that she will not marry â€Å"till God make men of some other metal than earth†, her unconventionality of not wanting a husband can be seen explicitly. An Elizabethan audience could deem this to be impractical and absurd; however a contemporary feminist critic may praise her for her independence. Most noteworthy perhaps, is when she says she will â€Å"cry â€Å"Heigh-ho for a husband! †Ã¢â‚¬  illustrating that the fact she is without a lover bothers her more than we may have assumed previously. Consequently, she initiates an impetuous proposal from Don Pedro which is fascinating as we are left unsure as to whether it was merely a jest or actually sincere – this confusion and chaos being predictable of a comedy. In my opinion the proposal was sincere as Don Pedro is left unhappy at the end of the joyous comedy: â€Å"Prince, thou art sad; get thee a wife†. Although, staying true to her word, Beatrice turns down the offer, on the basis that his â€Å"Grace is too costly to wear every day. † But there is dramatic irony in this; it is evident that she does not want a husband, so the audience is fully aware that the plot will alter in due time, ending in a married Beatrice. Again, this is conventional of a romantic comedy, where the female heroine will ultimately revise her original opinion of the man. Additionally, Beatrice’s discontent with the lack of respect and regard she receives as a woman manifests itself in her wish that she was a man. Beatrice is clearly aware of her inability to act against Claudio (purely because of her gender), after he shuns Hero at the altar. Beatrice declares â€Å"O God, that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the market place! † The metaphor used here creates an image of a savage and ruthless Beatrice (implying she would kill Claudio, rip his heart out and then eat it); traits which definitely are not associated with the conservative women of the Elizabethan era. However, some may deem her subversion of the gender roles here as positively defiant. Although verbally expressing her anguish, Beatrice â€Å"too, in this patriarchal society, must be dependent on a man to make right prevail†, as Penny Gay says, and this disheartens the audience. Thus, Beatrice turns to a man to carry out her wish for her: â€Å"Come, bid me do anything for thee. † Also note Benedick’s reaction to this request; he succumbs to Beatrice’s influence, and in consequence reverses the established gender roles in Renaissance society. The consistent sexual innuendo Beatrice insinuates in her speech is undeniably subversive. Bawdy language, not generally used by young, conventional women, presents Beatrice as characteristically more masculine than feminine: â€Å"With a good leg and a good foot, uncle†. There is a sexual pun on the word â€Å"foot†, perhaps linking to the unmannerly French ‘foutre’, as to suggest an adept lover during copulation – women having openly sexual desires during Elizabethan times was very distasteful, making the comment even more significant. It is also vital to note Leonato’s response to such language stating to â€Å"be so shrewd of thy tongue† â€Å"wilt never get thee a husband†, as if almost presuming Beatrice aspires to be wedded and oppressed. Moreover, deception and mistaken identity, features typical of comedy, allow Beatrice to subvert the status quo even further when she has the upper hand on Benedick, at the masked ball. The humour present is in the dramatic irony that Benedick is unaware that she knows who he is; he feels he is at an advantage by being able to hear what Beatrice ‘thinks about him’. Yet, it is Beatrice who is truly at an advantage, for she can in fact balance the power between the sexes, by ‘indirectly’ insulting Benedick, the â€Å"very dull fool†. Not only is the use of disguise a catalyst for humour, but Beatrice’s, debatably, greater intelligence challenges the conventional view that men are superior to women in every aspect. However, the structure of ‘MAAN’ enables the reader to recognise the chronological downfall of Beatrice’s wild spirit and liberation. The ending, with its characteristic comic resolution of marriage, also sees Beatrice being silenced by Benedick, significantly on the day of their wedding. The literal kiss, used to cease her independence, is preceded by the imperative â€Å"Peace! I will stop your mouth. † The fact that the feisty Beatrice is letting herself be silenced, which is marked in stark contrast to the â€Å"rare parrot-teacher† we met at the beginning of the play, demonstrates the restrictive nature of marriage for women. The timing of the kiss, right at the end of the play, gives a lasting feeling that Beatrice will stay submissive to her husband after the play ends. As Jacob Lund argues â€Å"the marriage of Beatrice and Benedick seems at first to offer a different view of what constitutes social order in the world of the play† with their repartee and Beatrice’s confidence, seen clearly when she remains contentious just before becoming a wife, stating she will â€Å"take thee for pity†. In spite of this critic’s view, I think the uniform structure of comedy, concluding with the restoration of order, means that it is only natural that Beatrice should be suppressed before long. It is clear that Shakespeare has created a realistic ending; perhaps it was too idealistic to assume Beatrice would claim superiority in the relationship? Inconsistent to Beatrice’s early assertions that she would â€Å"rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me†, she suddenly appears ditsy and romantic on discovering Benedick’s love for her. Conforming to the stock character of an adoring, courtly lover she exclaims â€Å"Benedick, love on; I will requite thee† in her passionate soliloquy written in strictly formal Elizabethan iambic pentameter verse; the form giving this gulling scene a much more serious tone than the previous. The explicit parallel between the two scenes, both beset with comic deception, marks a contrast between the soliloquies of Beatrice, and her male counterpart, Benedick. In comparison to Benedick, Beatrice’s fall from disdain has less of a dramatic impact, accentuating her sincerity and glee, whereas Benedick has to give himself reasons to requite her love, and consider how others will react. This undoubtedly presents Beatrice as the feebler and more vulnerable of the sexes. There is now even more of an inevitability surrounding her imminent submission to a controlling husband, as she tames â€Å"my wild heart to thy loving hand† just as she was expected to do. A feminist critic would argue that the play’s heroine has just sold out to tradition by adhering to a life of matrimony. This scene is hyperbolic in the 1993 Kenneth Branagh film version, and Josie Rourke's production of the Shakespearean comedy. This adds great comic effect as Beatrice cries out her love in an over exaggerated and quixotic fashion; arguably too extravagant? The view that some of the comic heroines in ‘MAAN’ may fall into the typical portrayal of women as passive and compliant, has some credibility. However, the unconventional wit and defiance of Beatrice outweighs the previous statement, and provides exactly what a comedy is made for: humour. It is arguable that the play ends badly from a feminist critic’s point of view as social order and the expected position of the sexes is restored (just as is anticipated, due to the comic structure). Nevertheless, mocking, transgressing and subverting the status quo will always be at the very heart of comedy, and ‘MAAN’ corresponds totally to this notion, especially in its depiction of the unforgettable character, Beatrice.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Obesity in America

Obesity in America Obesity has become a concern for many Americans. The obesity rates have gotten worse over the years. People are constantly looking for ways to better themselves and improve their appearances. In our society, obesity has become one of the biggest problems of American culture. So many people are obese or overweight due to a number of factors that include behavior, environment, genetics, and medical conditions. Each play significant roles. Behavior relates to a person eating to many calories and not getting enough physical activity.Environment involves work, home, school, or community that provides barriers for active or inactive lifestyle. In addition to all the other factors, Americans do not get enough physical activity. Ehow. com states one of the main reasons of obesity is lack of exercise. A lot of the new technologies have taken up most of our time that going outside and exercise has been taken out. Many of our schools have taken physical education course out o f their curriculum’s. Exercise is not a priority for many Americans, and if we are taking the courses out of the curriculum’s, how are our youngsters able to learn good habits. It also statesLivestrong. com states several factors that contribute to the overall obesity problem. Getting too little sleep can increase a person’s body weight. Lack of sleep can contribute to hormonal changes, which in turn can increase appetite. CBS News conducted a study and ranked lack of sleep as the new overlooked cause of obesity. People tend to eat more during the day to increase their energy, because of not sleeping the recommended number of hours. Livestrong. com also states that Americans are smoking less. This leads to weight gain as your metabolism may slow down after one quits smoking, therefore burning fewer calories.There are many medical conditions that can cause obesity (WebMD. com). Hypothyroidism is a condition that affects ones thyroid. The thyroid produces too litt le hormone in the body and this slows down the metabolism and cause weight gain. Cushing syndrome is another. This is when the adrenal glands produce too much of a steroid hormone called cortisol. This can cause fat to build up in certain parts of the body. Some people with depression also tend to overeat. A doctor can test for symptoms and treat accordingly, if possible. Another possible reason for obesity is stress. According to yesword. om stress could be the main reason for obesity in America. Most Americans have very busy schedules, and eat on the run. Managing one’s life from work, family and social standpoints have stressed many Americans. Setbacks in personal or professional lives sometimes make one indulge in high caloric foods, known as comfort foods. CBSNews. com cited an article by David B Allison, PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham as saying we are paying attention to the â€Å"Big Two†. They are fast food and too little exercise. He goes on to say t hat other factors are not explored. He and his colleagues suggest other possible reasons for obesity.Pollution can affect hormones. Hormones control our body weight. Most people live and work in temperature-controlled environments. Being in a room too hot or cold actually helps burn calories. Medicine can affect hormones. Drugs used to treat blood pressure, diabetes, and depression can cause weight gain. It has been suggested that the older a woman is when she gives birth; the risk is higher to the child to be obese. , Obese woman tend to marry obese men. There are studies that obesity is genetic, thus a union of two obese people, may pass down this trait for generations.In Conclusion, Obesity is one of the biggest problems people face every day. With better knowledge of contributing factors that can make a person obese, Americans can and will change this trend. It is important to eat properly and exercise, one's life could depend on it. Works Cited http://www. theyesword. com/main_ causes_of_obesity_in_america. htm http://www. webmd/diet/medical-reasons-obesity http://www. livestrong. com/article/354282-what-are-the-main-causes-of-obesity-in-america http://www. ehow. com/how-does_5558417_causes-obesity-america. html David B. Allison, PhD http://www. cbsnews. com/2100-500368_162-1757772. html

Friday, September 13, 2019

Improvment of the profit margin and sustainability of an organization Assignment

Improvment of the profit margin and sustainability of an organization - Assignment Example In order to improve the profit margin and sustainability of an organization,operating in this tough competitive age,the most essential requirement is recruitment of an experienced and talented leader A leader is a person who might work as a catalyst, in enhancing and controlling the human resources of the organization in an effective way. This is because; the human resource is the prime requirement of any organization operating in any segment and in any region. As human resource are mainly responsible, for the fulfilment of the future goals and objectives of the organization in the market among others. However, it might be possible only if the leader may act tactfully and motivate the employees towards work in order to improve the productivity and image of the organization in the entire market, in-spite of varied types of changes. Only then, the image and profit margin of the organization might get enhanced in the market among other rival players. Moreover, if the changes might be ha ndled in an effective way then the popularity and equity of the organization may be enhanced thereby amplifying its competitiveness in the market to a certain extent in long run among others. Thus, it might be depicted that, leader act as the backbone of the organization that may not only improve the efficiency and capability of the employees but also cope-up with varied types of changes. This essay is mainly divided into five phases that mainly highlights the significance of leadership within an organization. Along with this, it also highlights the role of leadership within a change management situation with the help of models like Kotters 8 steps, Lewin’s change management model. Discussion Evaluation of Change Management and Leadership with models In order to survive in this competitive era, leadership is the most essential requirement. As it acts as a weapon not only stimulate the profit margin and productivity of an organization but also to mitigate varied types of chall enges or changes in an effective way. Change management is described as a systematic procedure to deal or tackle varied types of changes or alterations in a successful manner. Moreover, it might also described as an approach that might be handled by implementing varied types of technologies, strategies and procedures so as to mitigate it effectively within the organization. Only then, the productivity and efficiency of the organization might get enhanced thereby amplifying the image and reputation in the market among other rival players. Apart from this, if the changes might be adapted successfully within the organization, only then, the inner morale and confidence of the employees might get enhanced with a significant extent as compared to others. This might help in improvement of their level of performance and efficiency within the organization thereby amplifying the level of retention. It is extremely essential for any organization operating in this competitive age among many oth er rival players. This is because, the experienced employees are the gems of the organization and they might offer varied types of ideas and suggestions in order to implement the changes in an effective way. Such a situation is also seen within the organization, Biogen Idec Incorporated, at the time of restructuring or reassessment of the business strategies. As a result of which, maximum extent of the employees had to cope up with the procedure of reallocation of their job responsibilities as well as outplacement. Due to which, the relationship within the higher authorities and the employees is fading day by day resulting in amplification of the chances of conflicts and miss-confusions. Not only this, the motivation and dedication of the employees of Biogen Idec is also reducing as their roles and

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Banking - Essay Example Although a preferred means of solving the inherent challenges in the current banking industry, the reality is that it has its own disadvantages, as discussed in this essay. According to economists, there are a number of benefits of banks consolidation. One of these advantages is increased efficiency in the banking sector. Consolidation eliminates geographical restrictions in the banking industry, exposing it to high levels of competition, driving out all inefficient banks from the industry. This is not the only way of ensuring efficiency in the banking sector; moving to larger banking organizations too increases their levels of efficiency due to economies of scale and scope of work. Since consolidation increased the diversification of the loan portfolios by banks, thus lowering the probability of a future banking crisis. Mergers and acquisitions in the banking industry are economical, providing banks with an opportunity to minimize their expenditures. In the event of a merger, there is closure of overlapping branches, laying off any unnecessary staff, and sale of unwanted capital goods, thus minimizing some of the operational expenditures while at the same time creating some of income for the bank. Merging also increases sales volumes of banks’ products, especially when done from a central branch. One of the major advantages of consolidation in the banking sector is market diversification, creating new geographical markets. With these new markets is an increase in business revenues. Bank mergers additionally create stronger market power, changing the pricing offered by the banks. Although argued as a means of beating the inherent operation problems in the industry, consolidation faces a myriad of drawbacks. Critics of this form of banking fear on the elimination of the smaller banks from the banking industry due to acquisitions. Not only do the investors lose in such instances; small businesses too lose their source of funding. Large business organizatio ns seek funding from large banks while small businesses seek for funding from the small banks. If large banks acquire the small banks in an effort to minimize competition, small businesses lose their source of funding. If this trend persists, the banking industry risks suffering from domination by a few banks. This makes the banking industry less competitive, reducing the quality of services provided to the customers. Some of the economists however argue that this does not have any significant effects on the industry, since there is freedom of entry into the market, and thus balances the equation of competition. Differences in the working cultures of the merging banks could lead to failure of these mergers. In their initial stages of merge, different businesses suffer from increased operational costs, for instance resultant from communication differences. Although experts argue on the efficiency of creating bank mergers, the reality is that when a merger takes place, managers face m ore vast and complicated organizations, exceeding their usual capacity. They may lack the essential expertise required in the field, reducing such bank’s efficiency. Some of the experts argue that the creation of stronger markets provides the banks with an opportunity to exploit their customers. Strong markets mean that there are reduced